Former IPS officer to take on Supriya Sule

Suresh Khopade admits that he was persuaded by AAP leader and activist Medha Patkar to join politics

The Aam Aadmi Party has decided to field former IPS officer Suresh Khopade from Baramati constituency in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Khopade will contest against Sharad Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule.

Khopade who had stated that civil servants should not enter politics in a press conference held recently is said to have changed his mind by choosing to contest elections.

“Social activist and AAP leader Medha Patkar and few other party contestants suggested that I should jump in to the fray to bring about a change instead of fighting for social activism alone,” said Khopade whose police reforms were recently appreciated in the television show Satyamev Jayate.

However, it would not be easy for Khopade to win the trust of the people of Baramati who are supporters of the Pawar family.

“I agree that Sharad Pawar has done great work and his daughter is also following in his footsteps. However, when it comes to Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, I have witnessed that voters here are not satisfied with his performance,” Khopade said.

He believes that the displeasure with Ajit Pawar would help him win the hearts of the Baramati voters. He said, “I am not new to the constituency. I set up mohalla committees in the town which was followed by AAP in Delhi during the assembly elections to reach out to the voters.